My name is Caleb Bender (he/him). I am a Film Production and Mathematics double major going into my 4th year at Pitt. As a freshman, I was immediately attracted to Pitt’s film program. Through film you can study history, language, culture, philosophy, and more, but I found a particular attraction to documentary filmmaking. Perhaps completely…
Perspectives on Modern Expression in Brackenridge
As has been conveyed to us again and again, the Brackenridge Fellowship strives towards – and even prides itself on – bringing its researchers together across all disciplinary backgrounds. I knew that this was true from the moment I received the introductory email and read through all of my fellow students’ project titles. The intense…
Piecing the Puzzle Together
The Brackenridge community is an incredibly diverse community of scholars. Each fellow comes from a different research discipline and brings their own experiences and knowledge to the table. Although we are only three weeks into the fellowship, I can say with confidence that this class’s breakout rooms have been the first that I have thoroughly…
Interdisciplinary Learnings
Personally, my favorite aspect about the Brackenridge Fellowship is the diverse community it breeds and, consequently, the unique opportunity to learn from those of so many different disciplines. Through only the limited interactions with my cohort over Zoom meetings, I know that this group of 36 fellows will certainly provide so many opportunities to learn….
Learning from a Diverse Cohort
One of the most fascinating parts of the Brackenridge fellowship is the unique cohort that I get to work with. With thirty-six individuals working on different projects relating to different disciplines, it is quite exciting for me to learn about all the work that is being done by the Brackenridge cohort. I intend to learn…
Bridging the Gap between Projects
While each of our research projects are niche and tailored to our own specific interests, that doesn’t mean we can’t still learn from one another. There are certainly other Brackenridge Fellows who, even if not examining the same questions, are thinking about some of the same concepts and/or grappling with some of the same theoretical,…
Research from Different Disciplines
This summer I am most interested to learn about the different topics that others are focusing on, which I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. I think it would help my own research to hear about the work that everyone is doing throughout the summer, even if there isn’t always overlap with what I’m doing….
Putting Research Into Perspectives
Something that intrigued me about this fellowship was the interaction between students in various different disciplines, from astronomy to public health to political science. As a person who has become deeply immersed into the disciplines of medicine and public health, it was refreshing to hear from students conducting projects in areas I was unfamiliar with….
Utilizing Exposure to Various Mediums to Support a Single Project
The biggest draw to the Brackenridge fellowship, I believe, is the exposure to a diverse group of engaged researchers across every discipline. My research is fairly niche and specific to my individual academic and personal interests; because of this I have very limited experience with research in other fields and focuses. As someone who is…
Bridging Research
The Brackenridge community is a beautiful cohort of individuals who each bring their own, distinct perspectives. Through the wide range of interests and research topics presented within the Brackenridge community, I hope to grow my own knowledge base by learning about new topics that I have not yet explored. Reading through the Brackenridge blogposts, I recognized that, like myself, several people are also conducting basic natural science research, hoping to pursue knowledge with…